The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery, Translated by Katherine Woods, Later Printing, 1960

De Saint-Exupery, Antoine. The Little Prince. Drawn by Antoine De Saint-Exupery. Translated by Katherine Woods. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, New York, (1960). Original beige cloth hardcover boards with embossed illustration and titles to the cover, embossed titles to the spine, and full color and black and white illustrations throughout. 

Presented is the cherished children’s novella, The Little Prince, written and illustrated by Antoine De Saint Exupéry and translated from French by Katherine Woods. First published by Reynal & Hitchcock in April of 1943, this printing was published in New York by Harcourt, Brace & World in 1960. It is presented in its original beige cloth hardcover boards with charming embossed prince illustration and titles on the cover, embossed titles to the spine, and beautiful full color and black and white illustrations throughout. 

Writer and pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944) was born in Lyons, France. He wrote The Little Prince in the United States during a two-year exile from Nazi-occupied France. It is a philosophical and poetic tale that describes the beauty of childhood, imagination, curiosity, loyalty and wonder. All of the book's simple but elegant watercolor illustrations, which were integral to the story, were also painted by Saint-Exupéry. 

The novella was first published in the United States by Reynal & Hitchcock in 1943, concurrently in both French, as Le Petit Prince, and in its English translation, The Little Prince. It was immediately successful and went through at least three printings between April 1943 and December 1943. Soon after publication, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry left New York to serve as a pilot in the Free French Air Force. He was based in North Africa and later, Corsica. Tragically, he never returned from a reconnaissance mission over the Mediterranean, on July 31, 1944. The Little Prince was published posthumously in France following liberation.

Katherine Woods (1886-1968) produced the first English translation of The Little Prince. Although her translation was later followed by several other English translations,  her classic translation is treasured by fans and is often considered to be the definitive English translation. Her poetic translation perfectly captures the enchantment and charm of Saint-Exupéry’s storytelling.

The first publishing company of The Little Prince, Reynal & Hitchcock, was purchased by the publisher Harcourt & Brace in 1948. The Little Prince quickly became their best selling book.  In 1960, Harcourt & Brace purchased World Publishing and changed their name to Harcourt, Brace & World. Although the books published by Harcourt, Brace & World include a copyright date of 1943, they were actually published in 1960. 

CONDITION:

Good condition, overall. Light beige cloth hardcover boards with embossed illustration and titles on the cover, embossed titles to spine. No dust jacket. Pages are very healthy. Color and black and white illustrations, full page and half page, throughout. 91 pp. Dimensions: 9" H x 7 1/4" W x 1/2" D.